Jacob b



' (No ModeL) J. B.=L1sLB-. GOTTONGHOPPBR.

10.259370 Patented Jun@ zo, 1,882r

wigs

unulllnnll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB B. LISLE,'OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO BIMSELF AND `lILLIAll/I J. IRWIN, OF SAME PLACE.

COTTON-CHOPPER. l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,770, dated Junel20, 1882.

(No model.)

To all whom tt may concern Be it known that I, JACOB B. LisLE, of Springlield, county of Clarke, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Cotton-Choppers and General Cultivators, of which the following is a speciiication.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side sectional elevation of a cottonchopper of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a detached hoe-holder.- Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation, illustrative of a modification that may be made in the arrangement of hoes in my improved cotton-chopper without materially diverging from the preferred mechanical construction and arrangement of parts. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the detached vertically-adjustable hoe-holder. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation through the hoe-bar, showing a modification in the construction of the hoe for the purpose ot' permitting ot' aseparate tilting arrangement ot' each hoe. Fig. 6 1s a perspective view of a device that may be applied to the drag-bars for raising and lowering the forward ends of the said drag-bars. Fig. 7 is a perspective view ot' a colter that Y may be substituted for the hoe if it should be desired to use the machine as a enltivator, and

. Fig. Sis a diagram illustrating the manner of applying my invention to the proper separation ot' cotton-plants.

My invention relates to that class of aglicultural implements known as cotton-choppers57 and it consists, first, in an improved mode ofjoining the hoe-bar to the main frame of the machine, whereby a rigid or a yielding vertical adjustment can be instantly attained 5 second, in the construction and arrangement of the hoe or colter holders and the hoe-bar, whereby the ready transposition from a cotton-chopper to acultivator may be made, or the distance between the hoes or colters changed by addition or subtractionzin the number of hoes or colters to or from said hechar.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I make my machine of the general form of the ordinary cottonchopper, providing it with 5o the ordinary parts thereofas a frame, o, travcling-wheels b', and pole c. Tothe frontot1 the frame a, I pivot drag-bars dby means of wooden pins c or their equivalent, whereby said dragbars are attached to said frame by connections whose shearing strength is but slightly in excess of that required to pull the hoes through ordinary ground at the usual depth of cut, and whose resistance would be overcome when opposed by unusual obstructions, and the drag-bar, with its connected hoe-bar, cut loose from machine, and the edges and general arrangement of the hoes be thus maintained.

l attach the rear ends of the drag-bars d to the main frame through the agency of chains f, provided with eyebolts, g, by which they are connected to said drag-bars, and with hooks It, by means of which'they may be attached to the main frame at any desirable elevation. I also connect the rear ends of the drag-bars through the agency of the hoe-bar, to which they are both securely attached, with a lever, t', pivoted atj to the tongue c, and to said hoebar at or near its center through the agency of a link, l.

It will be observed that when the lever t' is at rest in the position illustrated, with its link end resting against the cross-brace m of the main frame, the hoe-bar is rigidly held to its work, and when it becomes desirable to raise said hoe-bar it can be accomplished by tilting the lever t toward the front end of the machine, where it may be permanently retained byjoining a convenient link in the chain fto the hook h.

The hoes n or colters o are attached to the Vhoe-bar in the following manner: The hoebar is preferably constructed of two pieces of angle-iron in a manner clearly shown in the drawings, with the horizontal faces of said angleirons separated sufficient to admit' the hoeholders, which will he referred to hereinafter, and the drag-bars d, said drag-bars being permanently attached thereto by rivets or bolts,

as the manufacturer may elect. The hoe-hold' ers consist of a rectangular box, p, having'an opening, q, for the reception of the hoe-shank, a draw-bolt, r, by means of which the shanks of the hoes may be drawn tightly against the vertical sides of the angle-irons that form the IOO hoe-bar, and a cap, s, provided with cleats titting over the edges of the angle-irons in the manner shown. (See Figs. 2 and 5.)

1t will be noticed that by loosening the nut of the draw-bolt 1 on either ofthe hoe-holders the hoe may beinstantly removed, as may also the holder itself. By this means the hoes may be spread apart to suit varying conditions.

If it is desirable to give the hoes a greater tilt than that which could be obtained by the lowering of the hoe-bar, the hoes may be provided with a toothed quadrant, t, pivoted by pin u, and held to place by wooden pins u', passing through a jaw made by bifurcating the lower end ofthe hoe-shank c. (See Fig. 5.) By this means the tilt of the hoe can be arranged to suit the operator, and the wooden retaining-pin u will provide a sufficient resist ance for all ordinarydemands, and at the same time provides a separate and independent safety device for each hoe when run against unusual obstructions. The tilting of the hoes may be attained also by the arrangement shown by Fig. 6, in which the front ends of the drag-bars are represented as attached to the main frame by means of a slotted piece,w, which is firmly secured to the main frame a. The piece fw is also provided with a toothed quadrant, a7, a lever, y, having a spring-pawl, z, and links a', that connect with the ends of the dragbar d. By this arrangement the hoes may be tilted up or down by raising or lowering the ends of the drag-bars in the slotted pieces w.

A very important feature of this invention is that of providing the hoes a with vertical cutting-edges a', by which means a clean vertical cut will be made in the ground and through the plants, and thus obviate what might otherwise be an irregular and unsatisfactory separation of plants. In Fig. 3 of the drawings l have illustrated a modification of this feature of providing means for a vertical cut by arranging the hoes n in the hoe-bar in the manner before explained, but substituting forward vertical cutters, b', for the parts n of the hoes u; or hoes may be made with triangular horizontal cutters having the front edges of their Shanks formed as cutters, as shown by the .middle hoes, n a, in Fig. 4.

Another modification of the tilting of the hoe-bar may be made by pivoting said hoe-bar to the rear ends of the drag-bars and tilting the hoe-bar by means of a spring-lever similar to that shown in Fig. 6, said lever being rig idly attached to the hoe-bar, while the toothed sector .fr is rigidly attached to the drag-bar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cotton-chopper, a holder, dd, suspended by two drag-bars, d, the movable sockets p, and cutters a a', in combination with a lever, z', link l, chainf, and hook lr, as and f'or the purpose specified.

2. A cotton-chopper provided with a holder, dd, iexibly connected to the frame, having a longitudinal slot i'or the reception ot' a series of movable sockets, p, in combination with a series ot' cutters, a n', as and for the purposes specified.

3. A cotton-chopper provided with the sockets composed of parts p q r s, in combination with a slotted holder, dd, suspended by hinged bars, and cutters n nf, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day ot' November, 1881.

JACOB B. LISLE.

Witnesses:

GEO. DAvrDsoN, JonN FrrzPA'rRIoK. 

